Unhygienic street food stalls raise health concerns in city

Ranchi: Several street food vendors set up carts near garbage heaps, over waterlogged patches, or beside overflowing drains this monsoon, raising the risk of diseases for consumers. Experts warn of a surge in illnesses like dairrhoea, typhoid, and cholera if it continues unchecked. From golgappa to momo vendors, many operate in unsanitary conditions. Civil surgeon Dr Prabhat Kumar said, "People often forget that during monsoon, the risk of contamination is much higher. Water stagnation breeds bacteria, and street food can easily become a carrier. The cleanliness of the food carts and the personal hygiene of vendors often remain questionable. Street food needs extra caution because even small hygiene lapses can lead to major health issues like food poisoning, gastroenteritis, and typhoid during this season." Appealing to citizens to eat from safe and clean places, Ranchi food safety officer (FSO) Subir Ranjan said, " We are planning a district-wide drive to check vendors. The guilty ones will be penalised. The challenge is that many of these hawkers pop up anywhere, keep shifting spots." A chaat vendor near Kutchery Chowk, Ram Babu Gupta, said, "We understand hygiene is important. But where do we go? We have not been alloted vending zones. Sometimes, we are pushed from one place to another by the authorities. Setting up a clean stall is difficult when you don't know where you'll operate the next day.""I love street food, but I'm scared of falling sick these days. I only buy from vendors who cover their food properly," said Anjali Verma, a student from Lalpur. Officials said they were planning awareness campaigns for vendors on basic hygiene practices like using clean water, covering food, and maintaining hand hygiene to prevent seasonal diseases. "Monitoring every corner of the city becomes difficult with limited manpower," the FSO rued.